An ode to Melbourne

Sometimes I ask myself, "what AM I doing with my life." There are days where I do what some people would consider nothing. Today I woke up and wrote in my journal, went and sat in the sun to eat breakfast, called my best friend and talked for 3 hours, played my ukulele in the park, read my book, and watched a movie. I feel guilty about it at times, like I'm not improving the world and that is what I'm supposed to do with every minute! But my friend reminded me of all the amazing things I HAVE done despite these lazy Sundays, when it's really a Tuesday :)
So I'm thinking as I spend my last couple of days here in Melbourne, what have I gotten out of these past 3 months, besides finishing my university degree of course! And I looked around the back yard and came up with a few things...

I made friends with this silly cat who stalks invisible things in the backyard and despite taking himself so seriously, he has a silly disney character and a bell hanging from his collar.

I realized how much I love hanging laundry in the sunshine.

I found out I could actually grow my own food!

I experienced the joy of finding a vegetable that I had not yet discovered because it was hiding amongst the leaves trying to grow big enough to impress me ;)

I now know what an artichoke looks like once it  blooms. 

I read heaps of books.

In the end I know my ukulele is always there for me no matter how much I neglect it.

So despite looking like I'm doing nothing, I have actually accomplished heaps. It feels like a lot less is happening when you're stationary in a foreign place. There are lots of other things I've learned about that I can't take pictures of, such as relationships and not being afraid of the dark and entertaining myself, things I won't even know until I use them later. So despite the doubt that invades my mind from time to time, when I say to myself, 'wahhhhtt am I doing with my life?' I know that I'm in the right place. My life is giving me a sense of confidence in my abilities and who I am. Every day I feel challenged and I must often rely on the friendship of strangers, and sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy in my head because I don't have anyone to talk to. 

So yeah that's me.

Brining Olives

Olives are going wild all over my neighborhood, and little did I know they would turn purple and go soft when they ripened. But I saw an old italian looking man going for them at the park and I decided he probably knows what he's doing so I followed suit.

 Then of course, google told me exactly what to do with them next....

Container

Slice into their juicy little sides to allow the brine to seep in more effectively.

Brine is heaps of salt and water.

They look like they're taking a bath.

Now you have to shake them around once a day and change the brine once a week until they're not bitter anymore. I'm making a checklist to remind whoever takes responsibility.

Voila....edible olives

More foodie adventures and some Great Ocean Road ones too.

Another food adventure occurred, sourced from the Victoria markets. We had more kangaroo, but in the form of burgers...

 As well as some crocodile sausages, which were mighty tasty. Light in flavour, a cross between chicken and fish.. This photo makes it look huuge...

And I'm always the vegetables with every meal! Nazi, so I try to make a salad most nights, using some stuff from the garden.

On another note, I was told by most people that I was to not miss going on an adventure on The Great Ocean Road. So finally a coworker of mine, Kristy, and I headed off on our own little adventure. Da Dun Ta Dah!....

We camped for two nights, the first in a trailerpark in Angelsea and the second at a beautiful camping park in Joanna Beach. But shhhh don't tell, it was the only free spot to camp and there weren't many people there so we don't want word to get out!

On the second day there was a fancy sign that announced that we were, in fact, on the Great Ocean Road. Ahhh, this whole time I thought we were already on it!

We made camping food, mine tasted a bit like dog food, sang tunes to the neighbors and went to sleep along with the sun.

We saw the 12 Apostles, bit limestone fixtures, of which there are only 6 left.

Apparently some people went out on the cliffs and it crumbled away underneath them awhile ago.

And Kristy had a sharp eye and spotted an echidna on the side of the road. They are apparently not related to the porcupine, despite some slight resemblances.

All in all it was a fun trip. I love to camp and sleep in a tent. It's very cozy. I'm not too fond of sights with lots of tourists. Perhaps I've had enough of that in my life. Despite the huge variety of beaches, there wasn't many people swimming. Apparently the water stays cold all year round. I went for a quick dip right before we headed back to the city, it was a bit...fresh :) The currents are also pretty rough, there was a sign at the second beach we camped on warning not to go swimming so that you didn't get swept out to sea. Not a risk I was willing to take.

Otherwise, my last exam before I graduate is looming on the horizon. 29th of April, Australia time of course. My last month in Melbourne before I hit Tasmania is passing quickly and is filling up with all the things I meant to do. Working hard, occasional couchsurfers here and there, same old. Love to all.